The History of Card Counting

Card counting is a casino manager’s worst enemy, yet it has been around for years. Most commonly, card counting is a strategy employed in blackjack which aims to give the player an advantage over the house. For those unfamiliar with the act of card counting, here is a brief summary.

“The principle behind counting cards in blackjack is that a deck of cards with a high proportion of high cards (ten-valued cards and aces) to low cards is good for the player, while the reverse (a deck with a high proportion of low cards to high cards) is good for the dealer. A deck rich in tens and aces improves the player's odds because blackjacks (which offer a higher payout than other winning hands) become more common, the dealer is more likely to bust a stiff hand, and double-downs are more successful.”

In 1962 Edward Thorp published a book titled “Beat the Dealer”, which dealt with the fundamental strategy of blackjack and how card counting can assist your play. While his methods are mathematically sound, much of what he discusses is no longer valid at today’s blackjack tables due to counter measures introduced following the book’s publication.

Long before the book was published, however, there were a select number of card counters in operation throughout Las Vegas and the rest of the world. One such card counter was Jess Marcum, who is often documented as having been the first person to develop a dedicated point-count system for blackjack.

It wasn’t until the 1970’s and the publication of a book by Ken Uston that card counting really became a major problem. The book dealt with team based blackjack strategy and casinos were losing big-style. Despite a myth that circulates, card counting is in fact a perfectly legal activity. In 1994 a team of card counters were taken to court, but the action was subsequently dismissed following the judge deeming card counting merely the use of intelligent strategy. That said, casinos prevent card counters from playing at their blackjack tables thanks the fact that casinos are private property and as such can decide who they allow to play.

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